Casey Capps, Registrar
Martin Methodist College

Faculty advising model
› Faculty typically carry
a load of 12-15 hours
in addition to advising
and other duties
› Most are on tenmonth contracts and
do not teach or keep
office hours during
breaks (including
summer)
Traditional registrar
duties: transcript
processing, schedule
building, graduation
audits for all graduating
seniors, transfer
evaluations, and “other
duties as assigned”
 Additional duties:
committee duties, grade
distribution, reporting,
FERPA officer, athletic
eligibility, graduation
ceremony, and advising
all transfer students

Academic advising has been
referred to as the
“cornerstone of student
retention” (Crockett, 1978).
 Advising has often been linked
to positive gains in retention
and graduation rates for a
number of reasons, including
“(1) student satisfaction with
the college experience, (2)
effective educational and
career planning and decision
making, (3) student utilization
of campus support services,
(4) student-faculty contact
outside the classroom, and (5)
student mentoring.” (Cuseo,
2012)

Ensures students are taking classes
needed for their degree
 Ensures they are registered for courses
they are eligible to take (pre-requisites
met)
 Answers transfer questions they may
have

Transfer questions
answered on the front
end
 Understanding of why
they are taking the
classes they are
registered for
 Gives some direction
for future advising
 Empowers them to
begin owning their
education

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Transfer evaluation
complete
Less pre-requisites to
check after classes
start
Ensures students are
taking classes
required for their
degree
Opportunity to clarify
transfer policies
Understanding of degree requirements in
all majors
 Advising guides (electronic or paper) to
keep for student’s file
 Transfer guides (which you may already
have!)

Allows student to plan out their courses
for each semester
 Gives them a goal to work toward
 Gives them their degree requirements
upfront
 Shows them the light at the end of the
tunnel

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Understanding for
what it will take to
receive a degree
Awareness of
academic process
and the players
involved
Excitement for their
future

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Clarify degree
requirements
Explain course
sequencing
Produce more
graduates!
Knowledge of academic programs and
polices
 Patience for students learning about
college and your institution

Get to know the advisors at your institution
(professional or faculty)
 Set up meetings or luncheons with them to
have some face-to-face interaction
 Consider monthly “Updates from the
Registrar’s Office” newsletters to keep your
campus informed
 You know the catalog better than most on
your campus, so if you are able to keep
them in the loop on updates and changes,
it will ultimately make your life easier
because they will be able to better advise!

Crockett, D. S. (1978). Academic advising:
A cornerstone of student retention. In L.
Noel (Ed.), Reducing the dropout rate. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
 Cuseo, J. (2012). Academic advisement
and student retention: Empirical
connections & systemic interventions.
Retrieved from
http://www.uwc.edu/sites/default/files/imc
e-uploads/employees/academicresources/esfy/_files/academic_advisemen
t_and_student_renetion.pdf
